Greg Ward Has Special Christmas Gift for Mom

Eagles receiver caught the first touchdown pass of his career and it was a game-winner with 26 seconds left, and he now plans to send the ball to his mother; here's more on his big day

LANDOVER, MD. - The ball was supposed to go to Zach Ertz.

The Washington Redskins had that figured out, though.

That was when Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz reset then saw Greg Ward flash across the back of the end zone and let the ball go. It was a high arcing sort of pass that appeared destined for the front of the row bleachers behind one of the end zone’s at FedEx Field.

“I just put it up,” said Wentz. “I knew he had a step on (Redskins cornerback) Josh (Norman) so I just put it up and gave him a chance and it was so sweet to see him go up and get that ball.”

Ward looked like he was climbing a ladder, rising skyward to make the catch then landing in bounds. The catch was good for the eighth lead change of the day and came with 26 seconds left in what would be a 37-27 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

“I had Norman on me; it was a race to the pylon,” said Ward. “I ran away from him. Carson threw a great ball and I was able to make a play.”

The winning catch came against a player in Norman that Ward said he was fan of while growing up.

“Me and him had a talk before and I’d tell him it was crazy playing with him,” said Ward. “He was one of the guys I would see play on the TV. It was crazy. We were having side conversations.”

Suddenly, Ward is beginning to look like a roster keeper for the 2020 season. Of course, the Eagles aren’t quite done with 2019, yet. At 7-7, they still control their playoff destiny with the Dallas Cowboys coming to South Philly next Sunday.

Ward caught four passes for 40 yards on the Eagles’ 75-yard drive that consumed 11 plays and 4 minute, 15 seconds of the clock and turned a 27-24 deficit into a 31-27 lead. For the game, Ward had seven catches on nine targets for 61 yards and that touchdown, which was the first of his career.

Asked if he kept the ball, Ward said: “Of course. I’m giving it to my mom. I’ll probably send it to her (Monday).”

Quite the Christmas present from a son whose perseverance is paying off.

A quarterback at the University of Houston, Ward spent the past two-and-half year learning how to be an NFL receiver. Most of that time was spent on the Eagles’ practice squad until being promoted in Week 12.

Ward has spent a lot of time making that transition by talking to Wentz about various things regarding how to play receiver, certain plays, and more.

“That definitely has bene helpful,” said Ward. “Me and Carson talk a lot about routes, things like timing and how he wants those routes run. All those talks, all those reps are paying off now.”

Ward’s yardage total on Sunday equaled that of tight end Zach Ertz, and the Eagles needed every one of them. The other two receivers – J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Rob Davis – didn’t have a single catch between them and only Arcega-Whiteside was targeted twice.

For the season, Ward now has 18 catches for 140 yards, and that is in four games.

“It’s definitely Carson feeling more comfortable with Greg and trusting him and making nice accurate throws,” said Eagles head coach Doug Pederson when asked what made him believe Ward could step up in that game-winning moment. “It’s more about just being in the flow of the game at that time than it is coming up with specific plays for specific guys.”

Right now, Ward is looking like a specific player who may need to have specific plays designed for him.